Data storage is well known in the art. A goal of many data management systems is to store large amounts of data on large specialised highly efficient storage systems. This approach allows efficiencies that are unique to large fast hardware and software based facilities. Another goal of efficient data systems is to detect duplication of data to minimise the space used.
One key factor that stands in the way of the efficient storage of data is that data security typically dictates that each user or company have their own secure data storage area, and in most cases, that the data be stored at inefficient smaller, slower and less powerful data management facilities leading to increased costs and slower performance.
A common practice is to tag data using a system of meta tags with related meta tag data which is in turn associated with specific data files. This approach is currently popular with large media storage systems such as YouTube for video, or iTunes for audio and movie data. However meta tags are not limited to media file types and can be associated with any file type.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.
Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.